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Funny, when I get briefings from Google, they’re usually under strict NDA.
Andrew Fogg apparently wasn’t under the same constraints when he posted this tweet that Google is adding offline support to its Gmail and Calendar apps later this year. (Fogg’s tweet has since been removed.)
He offered no other details, but none were required. This is a big deal. Through Google Gears, an open-source browser extension for IE and Firefox that lets Web applications work offline, you can access your Gmail and Calendar content without a Web connection.
So instead of having to use Outlook on your flight when you’re working on your laptop, you can just use Gmail.
This is no surprise. Gears launched in May 2007 letting Google Reader work offline and Google has been on an offline march this year, taking its Docs word processing offline in March and its spreadsheet and presentation apps offline in April.
I’d like to see all Google Apps working offline by next year.
Moreover, Google tipped its hand months ago, according to Google Operating System’s Ionut Alex Chitu, who found the Fogg tweet and wrote that Google accidentally enabled the offline option in Google Calendar.
Docs, Gmail and Calendar are among the biggest Google Apps, so I’m glad Google is assuaging its users’ pains. I’m not as averse to using Outlook or other apps when I’m flying or have no Web access, but I know it pains others who want their Gmail, Docs and Calendar 24/7.